1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine tool including a chip conveyor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a machine tool, there is a case where chips produced during a machining operation are accumulated therein and a mechanism unit is broken due to the intrusion of the chips into the mechanism unit. In order to prevent the breakage of the mechanism unit of the machine tool due to the intrusion of the chips, there is a need to discharge the chips accumulated in the machine tool.
As one of methods of discharging the chips, a chip conveyor is disposed in the vicinity of the chip accumulation position so as to discharge the chips to the outside. An example of the chip conveyor will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 1D.
A chip conveyor 1 includes a chip carrying unit 5 which carries accumulated chips. A driving motor 6 which rotationally drives the chip carrying unit 5 is connected to the chip carrying unit 5. Both ends of the chip carrying unit 5 are provided with a fixed block 7 which fixes and supports the chip carrying unit 5 thereon. A support block 2 which supports the fixed block 7 is provided above the fixed block 7, and the support block 2 and the fixed block 7 are fixed and supported by an upper fixing bolt 9. Further, the support block 2 is fixed and supported by a splash guard 10 to be described later by fixing bolts 4.
An example in which the chip conveyor 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1D is applied to the machine tool will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2C. In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, two chip conveyors 1 are disposed in the machine tool.
The machine tool and the chip conveyor 1 are entirely covered by the splash guard 10. The splash guard 10, the machine tool, and the like are supported by a bed 11. A table 13 is disposed on a saddle 12 of the machine tool. A workpiece 14 is installed on the table 13. A spindle 16 is provided in a column 17 of the machine tool, and a tool 15 is attached to the front end of the spindle 16. Then, the workpiece 14 on the table 13 is machined by the tool 15. In addition, Reference Numeral 18 indicates a cutting fluid processing device.
A technique involved with the chip conveyor is disclosed in JP 2009-248293 A and JP 2007-136635 A. JP 2009-248293 A discloses a technique in which a coil forming a chip conveyor used to discharge chips is immersed into a cutting fluid, and JP 2007-136635 A discloses a technique in which chips are discharged by a chip conveyor including a spiral conveyor.
In the chip conveyor disclosed in the above-described patent documents, since a gap between the chip conveyor 1 and the splash guard 10 covering the entire machine tool including the chip conveyor 1 is narrow, there is a concern that the chips may be stuck between the splash guard 10 and the chip carrying unit 5 when the chips are carried by the chip conveyor 1.
JP 2009-248293 A described above discloses that a screw is caught by the accumulated chips. However, since there is a need to collect the cutting fluid in a hopper as a countermeasure thereof, a large amount of cutting fluid is needed. Further, JP 2007-136635 A describes the spiral type chip conveyor as the chip discharging member. However, the state where the chips have been stuck in the spiral coil is not disclosed, and the solving method thereof is not also disclosed.